About

Jim Hood has served as Attorney General of Mississippi since 2004. Prior to being elected as Attorney General, he served as a law clerk at the Mississippi Supreme Court and as a special assistant attorney general. In 1995, he was elected the district attorney for seven counties in North Mississippi. During his eight years as district attorney, he tried more than 100 jury trials. He has personally prosecuted several historical cases, including the 2005 trial for the leader of the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers in a case which was previously depicted in the movie “Mississippi Burning.”

As the father of three, General Hood has been a passionate champion for protecting Mississippi’s children from the dangers brought by technology, particularly the internet and cellular telephones. Mississippi’s Cyber Crime Fusion Center and state-wide Internet Crimes Against Children task force have helped rescue child victims of predators, prevented children from being abused and exploited, and deterred cyber bullying.

Attorney General Hood has led Mississippi initiatives to prevent workplace and school violence, established a dedicated domestic violence unit, and statewide restraining order registry. General Hood has developed several other unique units in his office, including the Deadbeat Parent Child Support Prosecution Unit, the Vulnerable Adults Unit, the Victims Compensation Unit, the Insurance Fraud Unit, and the Intellectual Property Theft Task Force.

General Hood has also forged new strategies and programs to help and educate consumers. The Consumer Protection Division leads statewide efforts to investigate and prosecute consumer frauds and scams, identity theft, home repair fraud, price gouging, and dangerous counterfeit products. General Hood consistently works to strengthen laws to protect consumers from these crimes.

Attorney General Hood serves as Immediate Past President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and leads several NAAG committees. He serves on the Board of Directors for Jason Foundation (which is dedicated to preventing teen suicide), the National Association of Model State Drug Laws, and as a Non-Regional Director for the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).

Attorney General Hood is a native of Chickasaw County in North Mississippi – a place he calls “God’s Country.” He is an avid outdoors man and hunter. He and his wife, Debbie have three children: Rebecca, Matthew and Annabelle Leigh.

Duties of the Attorney General

The Attorney General is the chief legal officer and advisor for the State of Mississippi on both civil and criminal matters. His responsibility is to represent public officials and governmental agencies and to issue legal opinions that interpret state law.

The Attorney General has the sole power under Mississippi law to bring or defend a lawsuit on behalf of the state. He acts as counsel to state agencies to defend them or bring suit on their behalf. Most importantly, the Office is charged with the representation of the people of the State of Mississippi.

A staff of attorneys, investigators, and office personnel enable the Attorney General to serve the needs of the state. Since 1988, the traditional role of the Attorney General has been expanded to include investigation of white collar crime and large scale drug operations, as well as increased responsibility in gaming and environmental matters. Under the Mississippi Consumer Protection Act of 1994, the Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection may investigate and prosecute businesses engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices and unfair methods of competition.